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GARY LEMKE’S FIVER +1: Sharks hunting much-needed URC win, Verstappen, Binder racing into the weekend and more!

This week Gary Lemke has look at the much-maligned Sharks needing a win, Max Verstappen to continue dominance Down Under and Brad Binder flying the SA flag high!
Lukhanyo Am, captain of Hollywoodbets Sharks leads his team onto the field during the 2024 United Rugby Championship 2023/24 game between the Sharks and Stormers at Kings Park Stadium.

This week Gary Lemke has look at the much-maligned Sharks needing a win, Max Verstappen to continue dominance Down Under and Brad Binder flying the SA flag high!

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

INTERNATONALS FILL IN THE EPL GAPS

There’s plenty kicking off this weekend – plenty apart from the English Premier League that is. It’s another International break, which means that Arsenal, Liverpool and City fans get an extra week to anticipate what happens next.

If you take friendlies seriously, then it’s England’s at 21:00 (SA time) on Saturday that will excite you most when they host Brazil. For the rest, there’s a number of snore fests, unless this is your bag, with possibly the most interesting others being Spain vs Colombia and Ireland vs Belgium

VERSTAPPEN FOCUSED ON THE BIG PRIZE

All roads, in a manner of speaking, lead to Melbourne this weekend for the third race of the Formula One calendar. So far the spiciest story of the season has been the behind-the-scenes mess at Red Bull where team principal Christian Horner is still under scrutiny.

The situation is said to have angered Max Verstappen, and the inevitable headlines that he could leave and replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes are doing the rounds. On the track, Verstappen is going for his third win of the season from three races. Last season he only won two of the first four and then 17 of the next 18. Australia’s GP will give us plenty of insight as to how 2024 will unfold.

BINDER FLYING FLAG FOR NEUTRALS

Petrolheads are in for a treat, given there’s also MotoGP action this weekend, with the action in Portugal. Francesco Bagnaia took the season-opener in Qatar, with Brad Binder an impressive runner-up.

The South African will have the neutrals behind him as he also flies the flag of those non-Ducati supporters. Binger’s KTM was the only non-Ducati among the first seven bikes across the line in Qatar a fortnight ago.

SHARKS NEED TO CLIMB OFF BOTTOM

Can you believe that the Crusaders are expected to lose for a fifth straight Super Rugby match when they travel to Auckland on Saturday? However, South African attention will be focused on the United Rugby Championship where the Sharks (vs Ulster) and Stormers (vs Edinburgh) are at home, while the Bulls (vs Dragons) and Lions (vs Connacht) are on the road. Visiting teams have poor records in South Africa, which suggests the Stormers will see off Edinburgh, but the Sharks, languishing in 16th (bottom), will need to up their game to beat Ulster.

IPL DOMINATING T20 ATTENTION AGAIN

Three-two-one, lights, camera, action. The Indian Premier League is under way and the Chennai Super Kings will be trying to defend a title they’ve won twice in the last three years and five times in total (along with the Mumbai Indians). Not even a crystal ball will help you pick a 2024 winner at this stage, although both the Super Kings and Mumbai Indians again have strong squads and must be in the shake-up when the knockouts come round.

If you’re a punter, the only advice I have is, wait for a few rounds and follow a team that might have lost early on, and starts winning. Momentum is everything in T20. It breeds confidence and belief and often a side that wins after consecutive defeats will go on their own winning streak.

SAAIMAN UP AGAINST UNBEATEN US OPPONENT

While we wait for UFC 300, there’s another Fight Night happening this weekend and from a South African perspective it’s the bantamweight contest between Cameron Saaiman and Payton Talbott which is of most interest. Saaiman lost for the first time in 10 MMA contests last time and comes up against the unbeaten Talbott (7-0-0).

The American has a height and reach advantage and Saaiman might even be the underdog, but he will know the importance of getting his career back on track in a sport where the only predictable thing is its unpredictability.

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